Golf practice mat



June 30, 1964 w. P. LESTER GOLF PRACTICE MAT Filed Feb. 28. 1961 WILLIAM P. LESTER,

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEK United States Patent 3,139,283 .GGLF PRACTICE MAT William P. Lester, 1022 S. La (Iienega Blvd.,

San Pedro 35, Calif. Filed Feb. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 92,287 '3 Claims. ((31. 273--195) The invention relates to a golf practice mat and more particularly to a mat which simulates turf and which may be employed to support a golf ball while practicing a golf swing. One object of the invention is to avoid the necessity for replacing the usual tee of Wood or plastic when using a driver or similar wood club wherein the club does not dig a divot.

A further object of the invention is to avoid the necessity for digging or replacing a divot when employing an iron club with the usual downward stroke through the ball which would normally result in digging a divot.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mat which simulates turf wherein either one or both of the above objects are accomplished.

A further object is to provide a golf practice mat which simulates turf and cushions the impact of the golf club. This is accomplished by providing a cushion on the lower side of the mat. Means are provided for fastening the mat to the ground. Preferably this fastening means is in the form of an elastic tether which provides an additional cushion and resists movement of the mat on impact of the golf club.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to the drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a turf mat, the broken lines indicating that the elastic supports extend throughout the areas indicated, a golf ball being indicated in position on the mat in this figure and in the other figures.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a typical portion of the turf mat of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 3, showing the parts in approximate full size.

Referring in detail to the drawings, it should be noted that while this description will refer to certain dimensions, they are given only by way of example, as it will be apparent that various other dimensions may be employed. In FIG. 1, the web or sheet 1 of the turf mat 30 and its side wing extensions 2 and 3 are of elastic or flexible material such as rubber, each wing for example being 2 inches wide, the portion of the mat which carries the arrays 4 and 5 of projections being inches square.

Each array 4 and 5 is a series of close spaced elastic or flexible elongated supports or projections like 14 and 15 respectively, the wings 2 and 3, the arrays 4- and 5 and the web or sheet 1 all constituting a unitary molding of rubber or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the length or height of the projections 14 in the array 4 is the same, the outer ends thereof being substantially tangent to the plane indicated by the broken line 6, 6', the projections 15 in the array 5 being of the same length and their outer ends being tangent to the plane indicated by the broken line 7, 7, the projections 15 in array 5 being longer than the projections 14 in the array 4. The elongated supports or projections 14 and 15 in both of the arrays 4 and 5 may be substantially cylindrical as shown, but preferably with a taper to not only facilitate draft of the die, but also to keep from cutting, make tough and give more resistance as desired by the golfer. Prefer- 'ice ably an enlarged or conical base is provided as indicated at 8 and 9 in FIG. 3 for additional strength.

Each of the side wings has one or more grommets, two being indicated for each wing as shown at 10 and 11 for wing 3 and at 12 and 13 for wing 2. A suitable elastic fastening means such as branches 17 and 18 of bridle tether 16 are fastened to the grommet at each side of the mat in order to secure the turf mat 30 to the ground, and cushion movement of the mat along the ground on impact of the golf club. For example, the branches 17 and 13 may be combined to a single member 19 suitably fastened to the ground to hold the turf mat in stationary position when in use.

The similar supports or projections like 14 in the array 4 may be /8 inch long, the supports 15 in the array 5 being for example 1% inches long, the supports in both arrays being of the order of A inch outside diameter.

The grommets It) to 13 comprise means for securing the turf mat 30 in position on the ground or similar support with the sheet 2 substantially parallel to the surface of the ground and with the supports of the uppermost array, either 4 or 5, in upright position for supporting a golf ball 20 (either real or plastic), for practice or play, the array which is lowermost acting as a cushion for the impact of the golf club, either wood or iron, when hitting a golf ball supported by the uppermost array. This is particularly true and important when using an iron club with the usual downward stroke through the ball to obtain backspin, use of a full scale model having a sheet with integral opposite arrays of supports showing that the downward stroke of an iron club acts to flex the pins in the upper array and also to flex the sheet or web like 1, as well as the supports in the lower array, the mat of course immediately returning to its normal unflexed position shown in FIG. 3 as both arrays of supports 14, 15 and the sheet 1 are elastic.

The array 4 with its shorter supports 14 may be uppermost when practicing iron shots while the mat 30 may be reversed in position, with the supports 15 uppermost in position to support a golf ball when using a wood club such as a driver. In this case also, the flexibility of the web or sheet 2 as well as the cushion action of the supports 14 which would then be lowermost, take the shock or impact of the club without damage to the mat 30.

The mat may have an array of supports like 14 or 15 only on one side thereof, with other type of cushion on the opposite side, although the form shown is preferred.

Other modifications may be made in the invention.

I claim:

1. A turf mat comprising a reversible sheet of flexible material having on each of its opposite sides an array of turf simulating elongated closely spaced flexible supports, each array acting as a cushion for the other array, said sheet and said arrays constituting a unitary molding, the uppermost array acting to support a golf ball in elevated position, said sheet having grommets, and an elastic tether for connection with the ground and with said grommets, said tether comprising means for cushioning movement of the mat along the ground when the mat is in a horizontal position on the ground.

2. A golf practice mat comprising a sheet of flexible material and an array of elongated flexible supports integral with and arising from the top and bottom of said sheet, said sheet having grommet means at each end thereof and an elastic tether for the grommet means at each end of said sheet for fastening said mat in a substantially horizontal position on the ground or similar support, with said flexible supports which are uppermost in an upright position for supporting a golf ball, said flexible supports which are lowermost acting as a cushion for the impact of a golf club.

3. A golf practice mat comprising a sheet of flexible material and an array of closely spaced elongated flexible supports arising from one side of said sheet, an elastic cushion at the other side of said sheet, said sheet, supports and cushion constituting a unitary molding, said cushion having a thickness comparable to the radius of a golf ball and acting as a cushion for deflection of said sheet on the impact of a golf club, and fastening means References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 539,698 Milligan May 21, 1895 1,566,945 Winkley Dec. 22, 1925 1,669,204 MacCallum May 8, 1928 2,752,623 Tupper July 3, 1956 2,786,683 Shapiro Mar. 26, 1957 

3. A GOLF PRACTICE MAT COMPRISING A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL AND AN ARRAY OF CLOSELY SPACED ELONGATED FLEXIBLE SUPPORTS ARISING FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID SHEET, AN ELASTIC CUSHION AT THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SHEET, SAID SHEET, SUPPORTS AND CUSHION CONSTITUTING A UNITARY MOLDING, SAID CUSHION HAVING A THICKNESS COMPARABLE TO THE RADIUS OF A GOLF BALL AND ACTING AS A CUSHION FOR DEFLECTION OF SAID SHEET ON THE IMPACT OF A GOLF CLUB, AND FASTENING MEANS SECURED TO THE GROUND AND TO SAID SHEET FOR SECURING THE MAT IN POSTION ON THE GROUND OR SIMILAR SUPPORT, SAID FASTENING MEANS RESISTING MOVEMENT OF SAID MAT ON THE GROUND ON IMPACT OF THE GOLF CLUB. 